B H This Day in Black History

May 12

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May 12, 1855

Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole

In 1855, Mary Seacole, a Jamaican woman of Scottish and African descent, funded her own way to the Crimean War after being rejected by the War Office. She set up the "British Hotel" near the front lines and nursed soldiers. A 2004 poll named her the Greatest Black Briton.

People: Mary Seacole
Sources
1. Mary Seacole - National Archives UK2. Mary Seacole - National Army Museum

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